UPDATE 12/15: We did it! Thank you for your generosity and kindness, dear community. You helped us reach our $5,000 end-of-the-year goal with two weeks to spare. Can we raise $10,000 to close our tenth anniversary, and start a new decade of memory activism even stronger? If you are in the position to give, please contribute by 12/31/2025.
♦️Want to make your support easier to renew in the future? Select the option to donate monthly or annually.
♦️If you're not in a position to give financially right now, we completely understand, and we're grateful to have you as part of this community. Forwarding this email to friends, colleagues, or collaborators who care about this work is a gift in itself.

"The survivors have much to teach us about survival and resilience, and boy, do we need their lessons today. That's why we gave the Spirit of Portland award to Vanport Mosaic. This Festival and the stories it features, in my view, are a ray of light in the darkness, and for that, today we can all be grateful."

Commissioner Nick Fish, 2017

As we close our tenth year, we feel the urgency of our mission. As attacks on the honest telling of history accelerate, and cultural erasure becomes policy, preserving our stories of struggle and resistance is more critical than ever.

Countering deliberate historical amnesia requires all of us. Will you join us in this movement?

Please help us build the next decade! Your tax-deductible gift ensures that, in 2026 and beyond, we will collect, share, and preserve our community's stories, train new memory activists, and create spaces to celebrate our shared humanity. Every donation directly sustains this vital work.

Photo: Kindergarten class in Vanport, 1945. Back row, left to right: Norio Saito, four unknown students, Ben Kasubuchi, unknown student. Front row, left to right: Unknown student, Mae Hobara, two unknown students, Ruby Okazaki, unknown student, Bobbie Matsunaga. Teacher Mrs. Martha Jordan was one of the first Black teachers hired in Oregon.
Courtesy of Norio Saito. Colorized by Vanport Mosaic. All rights reserved.

What A Decade of Memory Activism Looks Like

What began with a collective effort to record and honor our beloved Elders' memories, before the opportunity was lost, has evolved into a community-led memory activism movement. We are now recognized nationally as a blueprint for people-powered preservation!

And we've done this work WITH memory keepers and communities; not for them or about them, but alongside them.

Working together over the past decade, we've:

Recorded 500+ oral histories with Elders from Portland's historic communities, and built the most extensive collection of first-hand Vanport memories
Created exhibits, plays, murals, audio tours, documentary films, and tours connecting people to places where history happened
Trained 500+ memory activists and collaborated with educators to immerse students in living history
Hosted screenings, presentations, and community dialogues
Advocated (successfully!) for Vanport recognition, including an annual Vanport Day of Remembrance and a state proclamation, putting Vanport back on the map
Co-created annual festivals, reunions, and story circles where memory becomes community.

From story circles to the Oregon Capitol, from Portland streets to the American Association for State and Local History's Award of Excellence—this is what community-led memory activism looks like.

Next Decade of Memory Activism

When history is erased, remembering becomes an act of resistance.

Team Members